The flower shop

Everyone who went by the flower shop stopped.

Some people said, “He is crying.”

Others said, “No, he is laughing.”

There he sat, Papa Dent, with tears running down his face.

Papa Dent loved flowers. He had owned the shop at the corner for many, many years. He worked very hard, but he had a good life. He even made enough money to send his son, John, to the university.

John was like his father. He wanted to go to the university, but then he wanted to come home and help Papa Dent to run the flower shop.

The shop was at the corner, and everyone knew that the best flowers in town were for sale there. There was no sign that said this. But everyone knew because Papa Dent had been there for many, many years.

When the shop first opened, there was a sign – a great big one. It said:

NICE FRESH FLOWERS

For sale here

The first customer who came in the door said, “Papa Dent, I like your shop, but I don’t like your sign. The sign says, ‘Nice fresh flowers.’ Would you sell any other kind? Why don’t you take off the ‘Nice’ and the ‘Fresh’?”

Papa Dent agreed and the sign looked better.

Flowers for sale here

The second day a man came into the shop. He thought it was a fine new shop, but he did not like the sign. He said, “Where else would you sell flowers if not here, Papa Dent? Take off the ‘here’ from your sign. It will be shorter and better.”

So Papa Dent changed the sign again. It read:

Flowers for sale

The third day, Papa Dent’s uncle came to the shop.

“It’s a fine shop you have here,” he said. “But your sign says too much: ‘Flowers for sale.’ Of course they are for sale or you would not be here selling them. Why don’t you take off ‘ for sale’ on your sign?”

So once again Papa Dent changed the sign. Finally it read:

FLOWERS

The very next day, one of the town’s officials came to visit Papa Dent.

“We are glad to have you here with us,” he said. “Your shop is neat and clean. You are a very clever man with flowers, and I am sure you will do well here at the corner. Your window is beautiful, but I want to make a suggestion about the sign. ‘Flowers’ it says, and it hides the beautiful flowers you have in the window. Surely you do not need it. If people see the flowers, they will know you have flowers for sale. Let your flowers speak for themselves.”

Papa Dent took the man’s advice. He took down the sign.

Everyone stopped to look at the fine flowers in the window. Finally Papa Dent’s flowers became famous, and no one ever went anywhere else to buy.

So the years passed.

Now Papa Dent’s son was coming home from the university. He had a degree in business, and he had done very well at the university. Papa Dent was very happy. He would have his son back home. He was glad the boy wanted to work in the shop with him. Papa was getting old. The shop needed some new ideas.

When John came home, he went straight from the train to the flower shop.

“I am home, Papa. And I am ready to go to work.”

When father and son had finished greeting each other, Papa Dent asked, “Now, John, what is the first thing we must do with the shop?”

“Well, Papa, we must advertise. It is necessary in business today.”

“And how shall we do this, John?” asked Papa.

“First, we must make a big sign in bright lights to go over the shop.”

“A sign, John?” asked Papa.

“Yes.”

“And what will the sign say, John?” asked Papa.

“Well, let me think,” John answered. “How about ‘NICE FRESH FLOWERS FOR SALE HERE’?”

It was then that the old man sat down making those funny noises. It was then that everyone who went by the shop stopped.

Some said, “He is crying.”

Others said, “No, he is laughing.”